Groundbreaking Graduate Program at Southern Miss Promises to Boost Mississippi’s Economy and Ease Headaches for the Sporting Goods Industry

HATTIESBURG - A new academic program at the University of Southern Mississippi aims to eliminate injuries in the sports arena.

The first of its kind in the United States, the program will train graduate students to become top-notch research professionals to advance the nation’s sports and human performance industries.

Debuting this fall, the Sports and High Performance Materials program involves the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials (College of Science and Technology) and School of Human Performance and Recreation (College of Health). It will be the first multidisciplinary curriculum to involve two schools from different colleges within the university.

The program’s mission is to provide students with a wide range of critical, scientific, analytical and problem-based learning skills that will train them in design, research, testing development and application of polymers used in sports.

Former Nike General Manager of Manufacturing Jeff Wiggins, who now serves as an assistant professor of the Southern Miss Polymer Science department, expressed Southern Miss’ aspirations to lead the country in studying the material and human performance interface.

“Our goal is to mold students into problem solvers to help our sporting goods industries develop apparel and equipment that is comfortable, that excels in performance and most importantly, that is safe,” said Wiggins.

Gary Krebs, Southern Miss associate professor of human performance and recreation, is teaming with Wiggins to teach students how to accurately test and create equipment like prosthetics, military body armor, baseball, basketball and football gear, golf clubs, paintballs and others.

Well-educated researchers will lessen headaches—both literally and figuratively—and save money for companies worldwide, according to Lou Marciani, director of the School of Human Performance and Recreation.

“When we start graduating students, companies will get skilled professionals trained in materials, biomechanics and sport/exercise physiology,” he said.

Marciani believes tapping into the $450 billion sporting goods industry fosters a win-win situation, not only for corporations and the university, but for Mississippi as well. For example, he said the Sports and High Performance Materials program could increase Southern Miss’ research funding base, which would attract scholarships and job opportunities for students.

The university will introduce the program on January 23 during the Sporting Goods Manufacturing Associations’ annual Super Show in Orlando. Representatives from approximately 1,500 companies are expected to attend the event.

The program could help land students internships with companies like Calloway, Cramer, Diamond, K2, Nike, Reebok and Wilson, who highly desire multidisciplinary skilled research professionals according to Richard Lipsey, president of Princeton, New Jersey, based Sporting Goods Research Network.

Lipsey spent six months acquiring feedback about the program from senior management of several manufacturing companies across the country who all acknowledged the dearth of potential new employees with the proper scientific training related to the development of unique sporting goods equipment, apparel and footwear products.

The possibilities of the program’s success appear endless, which enthuses Southern Miss polymers science senior and self-described sports fanatic Stephen Heinz of Hattiesburg.

“Sports are a passion in my life and have been for many years. Now my
knowledge of sports can be applied to my knowledge of polymers for research,” said Heinz. “Getting the opportunity to work in the development of my so-called ‘toys,’ such as golfing equipment and snowboards, is definitely exciting.”

To learn more about Southern Miss’ Sports and High Performance Materials graduate program, please contact the School of Human Performance and Recreation at 601.266.5675.

About The University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; further information is found at www.usm.edu .

University of Southern Mississippi wide receiver Juamorris Stewart, of Baton Rouge, La., gets fitted for a football helmet by athletic equipment graduate assistant Penny Larsen on the Hattiesburg, Miss., campus.